Abstract
Open Educational Resources (OER) are openly licensed teaching, learning, and research materials that can be freely accessed, adapted, and redistributed to promote inclusive and equitable education. The 2019 UNESCO Recommendation on OER, adopted by Member States, outlined five strategic action areas, including the development of sustainable models (Action Area 4) to ensure the long-term viability of OER initiatives. Building upon this framework, the 2024 Dubai Declaration reaffirmed the global commitment to OER by emphasizing digital equity, sustainability, and cross-sector collaboration as essential principles for transforming education systems worldwide. This study investigates sustainability models for OER through a pioneering intervention that aligns with the 2024 Dubai Declaration and Action Area 4 of the 2019 UNESCO Recommendation on OER. Conducted during the UNESCO Stay 2025 event at Tecnológico de Monterrey, the research engaged over 100 professionals from higher education, government, civil society, and industry in a structured interactive workshop. A mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating pre-tests and post-tests alongside a collaborative digital media space, to assess participants’ understanding and co-create practical strategies for sustainable OER ecosystems. The theoretical framework addressed four dimensions: sustainable environmental approaches, digital public goods, green computing, and interoperability. Results revealed a significant increase in participants’ knowledge, with teams proposing diverse solutions including the use of renewable-powered digital infrastructure, crowdfunding, institutional cost-sharing, open licensing standards, and cross-sector governance mechanisms. The participants’ reflections indicated a shift from conceptual awareness to actionable proposals, reinforcing the feasibility of implementing sustainable models in educational projects. Findings emphasize the need for educational institutions and policy-makers to adopt integrated sustainability frameworks that combine environmental responsibility, financial resilience, inclusive governance, and digital interoperability. While the study’s scope was limited to a regional cohort and a short duration, the results provide foundational insights into building resilient OER strategies. The research highlights the relevance of collaborative stakeholder engagement and digital innovation in shaping future-ready, sustainable education systems. Future investigations should expand longitudinally and geographically to enhance the scalability and traceability of sustainable OER initiatives.